Mo Dalitz is one of the few Vegas figures with gangland ties to survive the transformation of sin city to it's current family entertainment atmosphere. Mo's connections to the Syndicates in Detroit, New York and Cleveland have all been well documented but not many have told the entire story of the emergence of Dalitz and his so called Desert Inn Syndicate from former gangsters and bootleggers to well respected businessmen and philanthropists. Mo Dalitz moved into Vegas well before the opening of the Desert Inn in 1950. In fact Dalitz and his longtime business associate Peter Joseph Licavoli had been investing in land and setting up rackets in the southwestern portion of the country starting in 1944. While many New York gangsters and bootleggers concentrated on Cuba and it's booming gambling market, Dalitz and Licavoli invested more than $2 million dollars of their illicit proceeds in the uncompleted Desert Inn Hotel and Casino located on the Vegas strip. The Desert Inn was allegedly the the dream of native San Diegan Wilbur Clark a modestly successful businessman with no prior experience in building or operating luxory casinos. Dalitz and Licavoli on the other hand were two of the most prominent men behind the gambling boom in such places as Toledo and Newport Kentucky. Between them Dalitz and Licavoli owned, operated or had a stake in each of the most successful illegal gambling halls in the country. Mo "who always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone else,"
